Making an Art Exhibit

Blue Star Contemporary issues open call for Texas artists

By Kathleen Petty

Photo Courtesy Blue Star Contemporary

Artists whose work is featured at Blue Star Contemporary are anything but strangers—even if it’s their first time in San Antonio.

That’s because Blue Star staff and board members begin assessing a featured artist’s work more than a year before it ever graces the Southtown gallery’s walls. That review process will begin anew this month with Blue Star’s open call for Texas artists, which runs through March 31 and is expected to draw over 100 submissions. “We’re not particularly comparing one artist to another artist,” says Jack McGilvray, exhibitions and programs manager. “We’re really looking at their body of work and how it stands on its own.”

To start, McGilvray, Blue Star Executive Director Mary Heathcott and a jury of board members and other artists review submissions through an online program that allows them to see 15 to 20 images of a collection without knowing the artist’s identity. After submissions are narrowed down through two rounds of anonymous review, the group interviews the artists. Before a final decision is made, McGilvray and Heathcott visit each finalist’s studio to get a first hand look at the processes and materials behind their work. “Having an opportunity to visit with an artist in the studio is ideal,” says Heathcott, noting that it’s part of the reason Texas submissions were broken apart from national and international submissions, which are accepted in the fall but don’t involve visits. “It helps us foster closer connections with artists.”

Selecting which artists are a fit for Blue Star Contemporary goes well beyond just the visual appeal of their pieces, says Heathcott. The panel wants to see not just art that’s well executed but also work that communicates the artist’s concepts clearly, is engaging and has cultural relevance. If an artist says their work is about the migration of refugees from South America, for example, that theme needs to be clear in their statement and in their actual painting, video installation or sculpture. “Is that visible in their work or is there a disconnect from what they say to what we see?” McGilvray says. If a common theme emerges from a group of notable artists, McGilvray and Heathcott may look to exhibit them together. An artist with an extensive body of work, including new pieces not yet exhibited, could be a contender for a solo show.

And while Texas artists don’t differentiate themselves by incorporating the state flag, there are often similarities between contemporary artists who’ve lived in the state. “An artist’s location definitely has an influence on his or her work and should,” Heathcott says. Those who’ve spent time in West Texas, McGilvray says, often adapt minimalist tendencies in their work, for example, or the color palette of an artist’s home can seep into their work. “The Texas landscape, for instance, has very dark greens and a lot of browns and beiges,” McGilvray says. “If you’re in the Eastern U.S., you’re saturated with greens part of the year and gray in the winter.”

Before an official open call for artists was established at Blue Star a few years ago, McGilvray says they simply accepted submissions on a rolling basis. Now that they’ve formalized the process, Blue Star has seen interest increase substantially. “We want as many artists to apply as possible,” McGilvray says. When more artists are interested in coming to San Antonio, she says, Blue Star Contemporary, and the city’s art scene as whole, only stands to gain.